Chapter Eleven

Butler, Phantom Image. Bride, Dressing Up

Marianne was tucked neatly in her hiding place, camera held firmly in her grasp. The large object was positioned with her eye gazing through the view finder, staring at an upside-down view of Sebastian as he went about his duties in the next room. She huffed in irritation; part of her wondered why she had agreed to do this, the feeling of the similarity to a peeping tom was not lost on her. Of course, the demon wouldn't stay still…

"There has got to be an easier way to do this," she sighed.


In Ciel's study, Marianne and the other servants were gathered; Ciel sat in his seat behind his large desk. She stood with her hair pinned up in a bun, her bindings loose around her breasts, and her choker around her neck, safely hidden under the collar of her shirt. As she didn't need to hide her gender anymore unless there were visitors, she could walk around without getting overheated by her wig. The others looked frankly terrified, Marianne suspected their anxiety was caused by their various mishaps in the last few weeks following her birthday; they had seemed to go to another level of destruction as of late…

"So, Young Master…" MeyRin finally spoke up. "You wanted to speak with us about something?"

Ciel opened his sapphire eye and looked at them, his demeanour cold and authoritative.

"Yes… I have a little job I need the four of you to take care of."

Bard, MeyRin and Finny were immediately much happier with that little titbit of news, hugging each other in relief.

"See? We didn't have to worry!" Finny smiled.

"When he called us, I was expecting to be fired, yes I was!" MeyRin cheered.

Ciel reached down behind his desk and placed a camera down on the wood.

"This is a camera from the famous Talbot collection. It has a story behind it. It had been missing from the collection altogether for some time. When it suddenly came up for auction, I bid for it immediately." He explained.

The servants were confused.

"Who's Talbot?" Finny asked.

Tanaka, who had been in the room with them, grew to his full size and begun to explain.

"Full name, William Henry Fox Talbot. Let's see, he was a renowned English scientist and one of the inventors of photographic technology. There were some strange rumours about the last camera he used, the one our Young Master has acquired. Legend has it that if you this camera to photograph someone, whomever or whatever that person cares about most in the world will appear in the photograph as well."

MeyRin seemed overjoyed by this piece of information.

"Oh my! That sounds too incredible to be true!" she gasped.

As the old man shrunk down to chibi form once again, Bard asked his questions.

"Can such a camera really exist? Or is it just a rumour?"

Ciel ducked under the camera cloth.

"Perhaps we should take a picture and find out?"

As Finny was in the camera's line of sight, he would be the test subject.

"Don't move!" Ciel ordered. "The exposure takes ten seconds."

He removed the lens cap and took the photo. Finny remained as still as possible.

While this was going on, MeyRin was curious.

"What exactly is exposure?"

"Basically it means the camera is copying down an image of Finny." Bard told her.

"Stay still, or the image will blur and we won't get a good picture." Ciel ordered Finny, who was beginning to struggle. "Eight… nine… ten!"

He covered the camera lens and removed the camera cloth from over his head.

"All done."

Finny slouched forward, taking long breaths. Ciel arched a brow.

"You didn't have to hold your breath the whole time."


They moved into a room specially prepared for producing photos. Ciel dunked the photo in the liquid with a pair of tweezers and then held it up to see the image.

"Wow!" Finny gasped. "Look at that!"

Marianne stared at the picture and saw Finny as he had been in the study, but that wasn't the only thing that was there…

"It's my bird!" the gardener smiled.

"Since when do you have a pet bird?" Bard asked.

"It's so cute!" cooed MeyRin.

Finny drifted into his memories of the feathered creature.

"I used to feed it every day. Eventually it started eating out of my hand. I was so happy, I started to give it a gentle pat when…"

SMASH!

He destroyed an ornament in the master's study, a bear with a fish in its mouth.

"And my little friend never moved again."

Bard and MeyRin were slightly terrified. Marianne and Ciel were nonchalant.

"Are you saying that he…" MeyRin tried to put it into words, but couldn't.

Tanaka reverted to his fully-grown form once again.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention something. The camera has one other unique attribute. The new soul that it will show is not of this world. To put it plainly, the dead appear," he explained.

As he went back to chibi form, Bard shouted out.

"The dead?!"

"You mean ghosts?!" cried MeyRin.

Ciel only smirked.

"You can see why I was so interested in this camera, not only does it know who you care for the most, but it reaches into the other world to find the photograph."

Marianne shook her head as she watched the others cry out in terror, although MeyRin sounded much more excited if her reaction from ghost stories at Houndsworth were anything to go by.

"This is the nineteenth century!" protested Bard. "Surely no one believes a story like that now!"

"It sounds amazing!" MeyRin squealed. "What an incredible camera, Master!"

Marianne could only go over to Finny as he mourned the loss of his beloved bird.

"I miss my poor little birdy!"

"I know you do, Finny. I know you do."

It was then that Ciel began to explain their mission.

"Take a picture of Sebastian with this camera. But do it discretely, I don't want him to know what you are up to."

This left the servants greatly confused.

"You want us to take a candid photo?" Bard asked.

"That's right."

Immediately, MeyRin's face erupted bright red.

"Really? The photo will show who Sebastian cares for most?" she cried.

Finny, having regained his composure, agreed.

"That's something I'd like to see."

"Too bloody right, Finny!" shouted Bard, taking the role of leader for their operation, as it clearly needed to be carried out with military precision. "He's always bossing us around and mocking my artistic cooking methods!"

Marianne rolled her eyes and sweatdropped.

You clearly don't realise how much your artistic methods destroy the kitchen, and I'm usually the one who has to clean it up because Sebastian has to go out and get the replacements. She thought to herself.

"He's as human as we are!"

Ciel and Marianne's eyes met when Bard said those words. The irony of that statement almost had them in fits of laughter, but they managed to hold it in.

"He's got to have a weakness or two!"

That is actually a good question… Marianne silently pondered.

"And now's our chance to see them!"

Ciel finally spoke up.

"So, you'll handle it then."

"Yes Sir, Young Master!" the servant trio shouted in unison.

They clapped each other on the back at their impression of Sebastian.

Meanwhile, Ciel stared down at the camera.

There's no telling what will appear if we take a picture of him with this camera.

A smirk said across his face.

"This should be interesting."


Just then, Marianne raised her hand.

"Young Master, you know I will have to depart later today for London to pick up those packages you ordered. How can I participate in this job at the same time?"

The boy looked at her for a moment and realised what she said was true. He had forgotten about those packages, and Sebastian couldn't get them since he would be dealing with a visitor, so it was left to Marianne.

"Sebastian usually deals with them, so there is a chance that they won't accept you collecting them if you go as the apprentice butler," he said. An idea then came to his head. "Although… they may allow you to if you went there as my governess."

The girl was startled at the suggestion.

"You want me to introduce myself as your governess? Won't that cause problems?"

"Not particularly. You are an educated young woman from an acceptable family. You certainly teach me things better than my usual tutors. And you going in the place of my head butler, who you have a good working relationship with, so your knowledge of the work is sound. So long as you don't make yourself stand out, I see no obstacles." Ciel told her. "You may assist the others with this job while you wait for the carriage to take you to London. It shouldn't be long."

Marianne smiled and gave a slight bow.

"As you wish, Young Master."


At precisely nine thirty that morning, Ciel was sat in his study in front of a perfect scale model of the entire manor. In one of the rooms where he knew Sebastian would be tending his duties, he placed four toy soldiers around a small black ram.

"Let's see…" he spoke aloud. "At this time of day, he's in the library."


Hidden from sight behind one of the bookshelves, the servants and Marianne watched the demon through the gaps they had created in the books.

"He needs to stay still." Bard mumbled.

"For a full ten seconds, yes." MeyRin agreed.

"I hope this works," said Finny.

Marianne, who caught a glimpse of Sebastian's smirk, shook her head as their target pulled on the edges of his gloves.

He already knows we're here. And now, we're going to be punished for being idiots… Why did I agree to do this again?

Sebastian moved so fast the would-be photographers were unable to capture his image. The demon, in what could easily be ten seconds, managed to sweep the floor, dust all the surfaces, wash the windows; the list of jobs was endless.

"We can't even see him!" cried MeyRin.

"Damn!" Bard cursed. "We'll never get that photo!"

Sebastian finally came to a halt when he placed a white bouquet in a vase, and stopped to ponder its presentation.

"He's stopped…" Marianne whispered.

"Now's our chance! Let's go!" Bard ordered.

They levelled the camera just as Sebastian drew the white handkerchief from his breast pocket, flick his wrist and seemingly transform it into a brilliant red rose. He walked out of the room not long after, leaving the sparkling room as a symbol of his hard work.

The others were blissfully awestruck. Marianne shook her head and checked the clock; her carriage would be here soon.

"He's so wonderful to watch…" MeyRin gasped.

"I forgot to take the picture…" sighed Bard.

The girl patted him on the shoulder.

"And my carriage is going to be here soon, so I need to go." She smiled. "I wish you the best of luck!"


Back in her room, Marianne quickly changed from her butler's attire to one of the dresses that had begun to appear in her wardrobe since her birthday; a dove grey number with white lace trim. She slipped on some black buttoned boots, a dark grey coat, and matching bonnet with a large rim to hide her face. Happy with her appearance, she walked out the room and begun to make her way downstairs, pulling on her black lace gloves as she did so. As she glanced out the window, she noticed the carriage beginning to pull itself up the drive. She had better hurry.


Ciel moved the pieces once again, removing one of the toy soldiers.

"Next he will straighten up every room."


Sebastian was spreading a red tablecloth over a coffee table in the parlour. Finny came bursting through the double doors pushing a billiards table at full speed.

"Look out!" the gardener screamed.

The demon however, looked slightly bored. He raised the cloth up and let Finny storm past, letting him ram through the wall and out into the gardens. In his wake, there was a large hole left where he had gone through. Sebastian merely continued with his duties. Bard and MeyRin watched from the door and sweatdropped at their second failed attempt.

A single soldier lay outside the model manor. Ciel picked it up and moved the pieces yet again.

"And after that, he will work on records in the office."

Sebastian sat at his desk, working his way through the papers that had piled up. He heard the bell go for Ciel's study and made his way there. Knocking on the door and being bid entry, he stepped into the room.

"Yes, did you need something, Master?" he asked.

Ciel was sat in his chair.

"It came undone."

The neck tie around his throat had come loose. Sebastian arched a brow but did as he was told. He came around to the boy's side and retied the ribbon.


Meanwhile, outside the window, MeyRin peeked through the glass with Bard beside her, the camera in hand.

"Ooh! He's beautiful in profile too!" she cooed.

Bard grunted.

"Now, stay there."

Finny, who was holding the ladder that kept them propped up, and counted the seconds for the needed shot. Sebastian surprised them as he turned his head to the window, forcing the pair to duck out of sight. The demon smirked as he opened the windows out.

"Let's air this room out a bit, shall we?"


Later that day, the servant trio sat on the floor of one of the many corridors. Already they were exhausted.

"This is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would." Bard moaned. "Getting one measly photograph shouldn't be so tough."

The doors suddenly opened and Sebastian stepped in. He stared down at them with his red gaze.

"There you are. I have a task for you."

"What is it, Sebastian?" asked MeyRin.

He glanced to the window.

"Over there."

They all looked to see the enormous form of Pluto staring back at them.

"The mangy pooch? What do you want us to do?" Bard asked.

"We'll be receiving a guest this afternoon. That thing is offensive. You are to transfer it out of sight before our guest arrives." Sebastian instructed.

Looking at the size of the Demon Hound, it wasn't going to be easy.

"He's kind of a big fella, where are we going to put him?" asked the cook.

As he walked away, Sebastian answered him with a sneer.

"I'll let you figure that out."

Bard wasn't pleased.

"Oi! We've got our own jobs to do, you know!"

Sebastian gave him a shit eating smile.

"You do have until this afternoon. I'm sure you can take care of it between your other tasks."

He walked away and closed the door behind him.

"Maybe now I can do my own job without interruptions."


Later on outside, Finny was struggling the large creature on a long leash.

"Plu-Plu! Come here!" he shouted.

Pluto pulled against him, but Finny's strength was a good match for him. The dog dug its claws into the dirt and gravel. Finny tossed him into the air, and Pluto retaliated by breathing fire at the gardener, burning through the rope in the process. Immediately the Demon Hound started running towards the manor, leaving the poor boy in the dust and looking rather charred and crispy. Bard and MeyRin went after the great beast, although they were more impressed by the fire breathing than anything else.

"Oh wow!" the maid gasped. "Now there's a surprise! Who knew Pluto could breathe fire?"

Bard smirked.

"Well that's a Demon Hound for ya!" He then realised the magnitude of the situation. "Hold on! We don't have time for standing around!"


Sebastian was setting Ciel's meal on his desk in the study. Ciel's lips turned down.

What is taking them so long?

"Something wrong?" the demon asked.

"No. It's nothing. I think I shall take my supper in here today."

Sebastian bowed.

"Of course, My Lord."

He noticed the toy soldiers and the black sheep beside the model manor; a single soldier was set apart from the rest and away from the house. He only guessed that Marianne had been roped in to the job as well earlier on. The demon smirked, while Ciel remained without expression.


It wasn't long before Sebastian went outside and stared down at Pluto curled up directly on the path leading out into the grounds.

"They couldn't handle one simple task," sighed the demon, glaring down at the Demon Hound. "I'm beginning to think those three would be more useful as dog food."

He then remembered how Pluto responded to Marianne: with far too much affection in his opinion, almost the same as he did with Angela…


A black cat strolled out in front of him, immediately diverting his attention.

"How lovely."

With a smile he picked up the cat and sat down on the steps. The cat meowed and purred under his ministrations. Sebastian was unaware of the Demon Hound's eyes watching him openly display affection to another creature…

"A lithe, supple body."

The demon stroked his hand over the cat's soft belly.

"And paws, such soft pads."

His gloved fingers pressed against the pink paw pads.

"Cats are perfect."

Pluto, having had enough of watching, shifted into human form, smacked the poor feline out of Sebastian's hands, and curled up in his empty arms, whimpering and crying for the demon's love. Sebastian sighed in disappointment.

"Interrupted again. Can a butler get no peace around here?"


Ciel slapped down three photographs taken by the trio. All of them were blurred images with barely any substance.

"We're so sorry, Master!" cried Finny.

"Bard's come up with a good plan, yes he did." MeyRin said.

The cook smiled.

"The idea came to me earlier when I saw the dog breathe fire."

The boy arched a brow.

"I hope this new plan doesn't involve a flamethrower."

Clearly it did since they were disappointed.


Just then, Lau came through the door smiling.

"Why hello!"

His presence was most unexpected.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel inquired.

"I heard what you were up to and thought I might assist," offered the Asian man.

"Go away."

"My Lord, please don't be so hasty. Why not relax and leave this up to me?"

Ciel looked at him in shock as he continued to speak.

"I have already woven a spider's web to trap him, and the more he tries to struggle, the more entangled he will become. Escape is impossible. Against me, no prey stands a chance. It is only a matter of time."

There was a beat of silence before Ciel spoke once more.

"Very well. But I will not tolerate any failures. Is that understood?"

Lau smirked.

"Yes, of course my Lord. I would not allow failure to sully the Phantomhive name. I would surely be booted out of the country if I do such a thing."

There was silence for a moment.

"So, what are you up to?"

And cue facepalms.


Marianne sat contently in the carriage on her journey back to the manor, a brilliant blush on her face as her fingers knitted themselves together in her lap. While she had gone to the shops for the packages, she was greeted as Mrs Michaelis. What were they thinking? Was Sebastian playing with her, or did Ciel decide to get a little payback for messing with him the previous week? She wouldn't put it past either of them to pull such a stunt. Not that she would admit to the little shrivel of pleasure that glowed in her breast at the very thought of being Mrs Michaelis…

As the carriage pulled up in front of the manor, Sebastian greeted her with a smile, assisted her out of the small compartment, and helped carry the packages inside.

"Anything interesting happen while you were out?" he asked as he placed them inside.

Marianne looked at him with flushed cheeks.

"Was it your doing that your wife was expected to pick them up, or Ciel's?" she responded.

"I thought you would enjoy spending the day out as a woman."

"…You weren't wrong. Thank you."


Just then, the carriage containing their guest for the afternoon pulled up. A man stepped out and removed his hat to reveal his head of slicked back blond hair. Sebastian bowed.

"Welcome Sir."

"Hello. I'm the writer from Brit Business. Paul Jones, Sir." Jones greeted with a smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Marianne.

"And hello to you, My Lady."

The girl started for a moment but regained her composure enough to curtsy. He stared at her for some time before the demon graciously interrupted.

"Mr Jones, we have been awaiting your arrival. If you would follow me inside."


As Sebastian took Mr Jones' hat and led the way inside, Marianne slipped away. From behind a pillar as the two men walked past, Ciel and Lau peeked out from behind the large structure.

"Now, the plan begins."

Sebastian led Paul up the stairs, where Ran Mao was perfectly poised upon one of the bannisters. The silent lady crossed and re-crossed her legs, her very short skirt riding even higher up her thighs with every movement. Jones was awestruck by her performance, but Sebastian paid it no mind. He simply walked on up the opposing staircase.

Ciel gritted his teeth in irritation, his cheeks flushed.

"That was your big plan?!" he snapped.

Lau shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Quite odd. How could it have failed? Just look at her, My Lord. I thought even the butler would stop for a moment to stare."

Paul was still enthralled by the lovely Ran Mao.

"I was a fool to believe that you could handle something like this!" groaned Ciel.

The Asian man was quick to protest.

"I have only just begun to fight."

He stepped out from behind the column, made several hand signals, and the servant trio, who had been concealed in the shadows of the stairway, prepared the camera and waved large fans in Ran Mao's direction, which caused her skirt to flutter in the breeze. Jones was close to having a nose bleed, and steam seemed to be pouring from the top of his head. Bard nearly went and took the photo from his position beneath Ran Mao's skirt, but quickly turned to where Sebastian was standing at the top of the stairs.

"Coming, Sir?" called Sebastian.

His voice alone was enough to bring the poor reporter back to his senses and hurry after the demon butler.

"How strange. I don't understand…" Lau sighed.

Ciel shook his head.

"What a spectacular waste of time that was," he groused. "Maybe we were using the wrong person…"

A smirk spread across his face.

"Finny, get that maid costume from Elizabeth's last visit, I have an idea."


Marianne, who was slowly getting out of her dress, was alone in her room. She thought she heard the door open and close, but didn't see anyone.

"Sebastian, is that you?" she called.

There was silence. The girl shrugged her shoulders and carried on with her task.

Just then, someone grabbed her from behind by the shoulders.

"Sorry about this, Marianne!"

She was whisked away into another room, where she struggled and fought as she was shoved into a maid's uniform.

Her assailants managed to escape before she could lay her eyes on them, but she had a very distinct idea who was responsible for her abrupt costume change.

"Why did I have to be dressed like this…?" groaned Marianne.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her black and white dress was much shorter than the standard uniform, the hem of the skirt only going halfway down her thigh so the lace of her petticoat was on show. Her body was tightly compressed into a corset, where her white blouse barely covered her shoulders with cupped sleeves. With her legs covered with white thigh high stockings and her feet mounted on a pair of clicking black stilettos, the girl found herself greatly unbalanced. But that wasn't the full extent of her ordeal. On her head was a frilly white maid's cap, with black cat ears poking out on both sides of her head; her hands were covered with short furry black gloves with sharpened tips on the ends of her fingers. A black cat's tail was pinned to the back of the skirt by a white bow. Her necklace remained neatly around her throat.

"Knowing them, I'm not going to be able to go into my room to change. Sebastian's going to look like Christmas has come a month early," she complained.

With a click of her heels, she walked out of the room as well as she could without twisting her ankle.


Sebastian heard the clicking of high heels in the distance, and grew confused at who could possibly be walking around in such impractical footwear. He gestured for Mr Jones to go into the dining room and take a seat.

"I shall return in a moment. Please make yourself comfortable."

He walked down the corridor and saw Marianne… in a cat maid costume. Watching her from a distance, his eyes followed the sway of her hips as she strutted in painfully high heels, her cat swishing against the skin of her legs… Her hands as they fumbled and tugged the hem of her skirt as far down as possible (a losing battle he could plainly see).

"Marianne?" he called out.

Marianne whipped her head around to see him standing in the shadows.

"Sebastian, thank goodness! I've been looking for you."

He smirked.

"How may I be of service?"

She pouted under his predatory gaze.

"Can I borrow the master key so I can get in my room and change? I think the others have taken my key and locked me out."

The demon pondered the situation for a moment. On the one hand, he loved to see her in such a get-up, as evidence by him stroking the cat ears on her head. But on the other hand, it wouldn't do to have their guest see her in such a state, especially after the way he had looked at her when she was in respectable clothing. Such a tough decision…

"Alright. But you must permit me to make use of the Master's new… toy."

He whispered those words into her ear, making sure they weren't overheard. Marianne laughed.

"Of course you would know about that…" she smiled. "It's a deal."


Sebastian then returned to the dining room, where Mr Jones was sat at one end of the white covered table with his pen in hand and several sheets of blank paper in front of him. The demon bowed his head and stood at his side.

"If I may, Sir, allow me to introduce Funtom's General Director, Tanaka."

At the other end of the table sat the aging house steward, in his fully grown form (thankfully).

"I'll start in on my questions then." Paul smiled.

Outside of Ciel's study where the sign 'Do Not Disturb' hung on the doorknob, Bard, Finny, MeyRin and Lau sat on the floor.

"What's wrong?" asked Lau. "Why is he in there all by himself? Is he sulking or something?"

"He said he wanted to take a little time to think things over alone." MeyRin answered.

"He seems to be taking this quite seriously." Bard quipped.


Inside the room, Ciel had the toy soldiers surrounding the black sheep. He sat looking down on the arrangement, his fingers steeple under his chin.

"We need him to stand still for ten whole seconds. This is the one thing I didn't want to resort to."

His hand idly reached for his eye patch, but then he clenched his fist.

"But he has left me with no other choice."


Sebastian smirked when he felt the itch on his contract mark. His gaze then turned to the reporter.

"Now, could you please tell me about Funtom's business strategy moving forward?"

Tanaka however seemed to be suffering from the heat, or he was more likely on the verge of reverting to his chibi form.

"Allow me to explain." Sebastian said. "Currently we are focusing on toys and confections, but we intend to expand into other areas as well."

The old butler finally released himself to chibi form, and was barely able to see over the top of the table.

In order to divert Jones' attention, the demon slammed his hands down onto the table's surface.

"As I was saying Sir."

"Oh! Yes!"

"The company is working on plans to build outlets across Europe. We will begin with branches in Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam and Athens. We intend to expand into thirty-eight countries over the next five years, including those in North America." Sebastian explained. "We will also build a confections factory in Province, South of France, and a toy factory in Salzburg, Austria. It will ensure an ample supply of our goods is available."

Taking a deep breath, he finished his speech.

"We, at the Funtom Company, always strive to maintain and improve the quality of goods services supplied to our customers. No item in our factories leaves without going through a number of quality assurance tests. Only then can a product bare the name Funtom."

Mr Jones was struggling to keep up with the overload of information.

"Our motto is 'The Customer always comes first'. Our delivery system allows us to arrive at our place of business or residence, product in hand and at record time, however remote the location. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed. That is the Phantomhive way!"

Sebastian smirked.

"That is everything."

Jones dapped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

"Thank you very much. But before I go, I would like to get a photograph, if I may."

"A photo?"

"I would like you to be in the picture too."

Sebastian bowed gracefully.

"I'm afraid I must decline. You see, I'm simply one Hell of a butler."


Mr Jones was exhausted by the time he got into his carriage. Sebastian served Ciel his afternoon tea.

"Today, we have Demon Hound bean cakes, manufactured in Houndsworth."

He placed down a cup of green tea on Ciel's desk.

"Why are you serving me this rubbish?" asked Ciel, scowling at the offending article of food.

"Bard and the others bought quite a few of them."

The boy ate in relative silence.

"How was the interview this afternoon?" he asked.

"I only wish you could have been there, my Lord. Tanaka was really quite extraordinary." Sebastian replied.

Ciel smiled.

"That's good. A distinguished old man makes a suitable face for the company."

Sebastian gave a smile of his own.

"Yes. The interviewer even deigned to take a photograph before he left."

"Did he?"

"Apparently portrait photos are all the rage with the nobles lately."

"Are they?"

"I know, Young Master, why not try your hand at it yourself?"

There was a beat of silence.

"No."


That night, when the moon was high, movement could easily be made out in the darkness of the Phantomhive grounds. Ciel watched in silence from the window.

"It's almost time. Let's go."

Marianne, having changed into her usual uniform and wig (since they had a guest), shook her head violently.

"Ciel, this is a terrible idea! You shouldn't go through with this! Surely there is another way!" she cried.

He scowled.

"You know we don't have anything else. I want you to come outside and watch. He would never ignore your screams."


Outside, Ciel stood with his back turned to Finny, who held an enormous statue of a headless angel.

"Are you sure this is okay?" asked the gardener.

"Yes." Ciel responded.

"I don't know…"

"DO IT, FINNY!"

Finny threw the statue into the air, aiming straight for the Young Master. Ciel was firm in his stance.

"Look out, Sir!"

As it drew closer and closer, at the last minute, Finny tried to stop the incoming projectile…

Marianne's screams rang loudly throughout the grounds.


An explosion of dust and dirt erupted.


When the smoke cleared, Ciel was on the ground. Marianne ran up to him and saw Sebastian hovering over his crouched form, his back the only thing holding up the heavy statue, which had crumbled away and left only a pair of white wings. She chuckled at the sight.

"Oh, the irony…"

The wings crumbled away as the demon and boy faced one another. Marianne knelt down and gathered Ciel into her arms, while Sebastian wrapped his around her.

"At least you are both alright…" she sighed.

Just then, fireworks erupted from the dragon statues' mouths, which were the objects Ciel had observed being moved into the grounds earlier. Lau stepped out from the shadows with Ran Mao.

"What a charming picture the three of you make. Almost a family portrait."

Ciel stared up at Sebastian with a scowl.

"You're late," he complained.

"My apologies, Sir. I was making dinner preparations." Sebastian replied. "For dinner this evening, there will be calard a la varnese."

"That's nice."

The demon smirked down at the pair.

"You could have just told me to pose for the picture."

Ciel's eyes widened as he scrambled out of Marianne's grasp.

"What?"

"Had you ordered me to, I would have had no choice but to do so." Sebastian chuckled.

Marianne mentally slapped herself for not considering the obvious solution.

Of course it could have been that easy. It would have saved everyone so much trouble…

The boy could only scowl and look away.

"I have no idea what you mean."


Later on, the servant trio were in the dark room developing the photograph they had finally managed to take.

"We got the photo!" Finny cried.

"Finally we can see the fruits of a hard day's work," said Bard.

"The Young Master will be happy, yes he will." MeyRin added.

They placed the photograph in the developing fluid and waited.

"Okay, I can almost make it out."

Unnoticed from behind them, the curtains opened, and a human bodied Pluto stepped into the room, snarling and growling, his claws glinting in the darkness. They all turned to see him and were scared.

"What's wrong, Pluto?"

The Demon Hound opened his mouth and breathed fire over them, destroying the picture in the process.


Their screams were heard from Ciel's office.

"I wonder what all the noise is about." Lau said. "Do you know, My Lord?"

Ciel only stared out of the window.


Task done, Pluto ran down the corridor to Sebastian. The demon knelt down and patted him on the head.

"Good," said Sebastian as he produced a dog treat from his pocket.

Marianne watched on with a smile on her face.

"What exactly would have shown up if you did get your picture taken?" she asked.

He glanced at her over his shoulder.

"You will find out soon enough. Have you got the camera?"

She took it out from behind her back. Sebastian smiled before a sigh slipped through his lips.

"The Lord has really outdone himself this time. That was an elaborate piece of mischief concocted."

"I don't know why I allowed myself to be part of the scheme in the beginning. At least I had the excuse of being out for most of the day." Marianne explained.

The couple looked back at Pluto.

"You do know you're sleeping outside."

They walked away and left the despondent dog behind.


Sebastian knocked on the door of Ciel's office as the clock chimed ten.

"Excuse me, My Lord, we should prepare you for bed."

He entered the room, shortly followed by Marianne, and found Ciel asleep in his chair, looking like the child he really was.

"Oh dear, the day must have tired him out. It's been a while since he's fallen asleep in his chair," the girl sighed wistfully.

"How irresponsible of him." Sebastian smiled. The camera in Marianne's hands caught his eye. "Very typical, I suppose. Once again, you have given me unnecessary work."

He took the camera from her hands.

"Marianne, my dear, would you like to partake in some… payback, shall we say?"

She nodded her head and stepped behind him as he levelled the lens on their target.


Outside the window, Pluto struggled to get in, howling all the while.


Come breakfast the following morning, the servant trio were in the kitchen, staring at a photo that had appeared at their door that morning.

"Whoa…" Bard gasped.

"Sebastian's in the picture! And Marianne!" Finny cried.

They were staring at a picture of Ciel asleep in his chair, and Sebastian standing at the boy's side with his hand on a seated Marianne's shoulder.

"That means the Young Master cares most about Sebastian and Marianne!" cried MeyRin. "That's how Tanaka said the camera works, right?"

"Interesting…"

"But they are all good friends."

"The way Sebastian's looking at her… That makes Marianne my rival. What do I do?"

Finny then pointed out a fourth occupant in the picture.

"Hey, it's Plu-Plu!"

In the background, Pluto was clinging to the outside of the study window.

"Hold on just a second, that means…" Bard tried to make sense of it all.

"Does that mean that Sebastian and Marianne are in the picture because the one who cares most about them is Pluto?" cried MeyRin.

"I don't know!"

"Or is it the Young Master like we thought at first?"

"Which one?"


Meanwhile, Sebastian and Marianne were in the dining hall with Ciel as he ate his breakfast.

"I must say I'm honoured, Master." Sebastian said.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Ciel.

The demon chuckled.

"It's your own fault for falling asleep so defencelessly like that."

Ciel scowled.

"How dare you!"

Sebastian only smiled.

"The image in a photograph isn't real, only an illusion. But that is humanity's way. Seeking vainly to preserve the image, because you fear that one day, it may be forgotten."

Marianne knelt down beside Ciel and took his hand in hers.

"We hold onto our memories because they shape who we are. The feelings we feel only strengthen the depths of our characters. It is why we are all here now, because the feelings behind our memories have brought us all together," she said.

Sebastian twirled a loose strand of her hair while Ciel didn't let go of her hand.


Outside, Bard and MeyRin were being chased by Pluto as he breathed fire, while Finny was sat on the ground staring at the photograph.

"Hold on a second, I thought the images the Talbot camera showed were only of things like my dead bird," he pondered. "Weird… If that's so, why are Sebastian and Marianne in the photograph?"

He forgot all about it when he went off to play with the Demon Hound.


"You need to stay completely still." Sebastian said as he pointed the camera at his subject.

Marianne pouted in embarrassment.

"Why do I have to be in this position in the first place?" she asked.

The demon smirked. He had them safely secure in his private rooms. Her having taken his picture earlier, he felt it time she returned the favour, but that didn't mean she was going to get away with accepting the ridiculous job in the first place.

"Consider this your punishment for being roped into the Young Master's scheme in the first place."

She sighed.

"Alright…"

"Good. Now hold still."

Marianne blushed prettily as she waited the ten seconds for the photo to be captured. She lay on Sebastian's bed with only a white sheet covering her nude body. It was artfully placed so the photo could easily come out like she was an old age pin up model. Sebastian smiled.

"Done. Now…"

He had only turned away for a brief moment before she had run out of the room, sheet and all.


Later, when Sebastian developed their photographs, he started with Marianne's and found his own face staring back at him as he lay on his bed beside her. His was something he would keep to himself however. They were together in his nest in Hell, entangled with one another in the throes of passion. He only hoped it wouldn't be much longer before they ended up in such a position in real life…


This one was a lot of fun to write. I had a little inspiration from another story for this one, which has 'That Butler, New Face', a really good fic that has been on hiatus for a couple of years now, sadly. So I salute the writer of this fic for an exceptional job on one of the funniest fics I've ever read.

Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Please read and review!